The Avenger In Red
by Maeve Rogers
Summary: Maeve Rimmer is the Red Room's most powerful graduate. She soon finds herself alone in the world with only one friend, Natasha Romanoff. Soon she is wrapped up in monsters and magic, as well as some very special powers that Maeve would have preferred to keep secret.
1. Chapter 1

The Avenger in Red

Chapter 1

Maeve stepped out of the cold chamber, the hypnotism already wearing off, the infinite rage releasing its grip on her body until she was left with the pit of emptiness that always followed The Session. This had been her penultimate opponent and she had been consumed repeatedly with guilt as the memories from each one came flooding back to her. Tonight would be no exception. For now though, she could sleep off the headache that was drilling a hole in her skull. She thought back, for the millionth time, to the events of the past few years. Her time in the Red Room had gone quickly, and Maeve was glad. It had strengthened her, but also taken away some aspects of herself she wished she could have kept.

As the trainee assassin stumbled into her room, she wondered how Katia had done in her Session. She should have been back by now,lying in bed like the other successful recruit. Then it hit her. Memories from the past half an hour came flooding into her mind's eye, the look of cold, harsh stillness on Katia's face as she fell to the flood, her jugular vein having been slit by the knife in Maeve's icy fingers. Under the influence of the hypnotism, she had killed Katia. _Katia_. She, Maeve, the most prodigious assassin in Red Room history, better than even Natasha Romanoff, with all her knowledge and better understanding of the training, had been pitted against the weakest member of the recruits. No wonder it had been such a short time. 'I've nearly forgot my broken heart, its taking me miles away…' Chris Cornell sang through her earphones as Maeve's world became a kaleidoscope of self-hatred, and hatred for every single person in the Red Room. As she drifted into an uneasy sleep of mental preparation, Maeve took solace in two thoughts. The first: there's only two of us left; the second: at least they still don't know what I'm capable of.

Three doors down, Georgia, the second best trainee of that year's selection, was preparing to kill Maeve in The Final Session the next day. It wouldn't work out too well for her.


	2. Chapter 2

The Avenger in Red

Chapter 2

The next morning Maeve awoke to none of the usual sounds from her roommate. The groans and yawns as she shuffled out of bed were the only sounds to be heard, and as Maeve settle into her routine of fastening up the red, skin tight jumpsuit that was her usual attire, she firmly turned her thoughts away from anything that happened yesterday. Only the best recruit got to wear red, and she had owned it from the start. Maeve was not about to give it up now. From down the hall, a bell summoned her to the damp chamber where soon she would either die, or earn herself a name. Maeve walked out of the room with her chin up and attitude focused. She was ready.

Five minutes later, the trainee assassin sat in the hypnotist's chair for the final time. It felt like forever, but soon she had sunk into the deep trance that was followed by intense rage. She wanted to kill someone. Not just anyone, the next person she saw. Maeve was thrust into the Session Chamber, and the lights went out. When they flickered back on, her fellow classmate, Georgia, was stood looking at her from the other side of the room, which was littered with various knives and weapons sadly, no guns as the recruits had to earn their name. She had a look of pure hatred on her face and was screaming something intelligible at Maeve.

Then the fight began.

Maeve was like a gazelle, leaping, weaving and dodging any attack Georgia cared to throw at her, landing crunching blows to Georgia's abdomen until she saw an opening, grabbed a knife off the floor; hooked her leg around the girl's outstretched arm and swung herself up and onto her shoulders, grabbing her hair to keep her slim frame firmly anchored there. Georgia threw herself onto the floor and a knife nicked Maeve's cheek, causing a trickle of blood to escape, which only fuelled her anger. How dare she touch me! Maeve thought, and the knife in her hand was plunged into her opponent's chest. She rolled away and wiped her hands on the concrete floor.

"Maeve Rimmer, please exit the chamber" came the mechanical voice. To her left, doors opened and she gladly walked through, once again feeling the rage leave and emptiness replace it. At the sink nearby Maeve rinsed her hands and face, then she was directed into a sort of throne room where the director of the Red Room sat. "Maeve, congratulations. You are this year's graduate." A soft female voice said. "You are code named Viper".


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Viper. That was her new name. Maeve was dressed simply in a black jumpsuit (the same style as her red one that was in a suitcase), and prepared to leave the Red Room for the final time. She had been given one mission, which was to follow the orders of some Russian general. Maeve had no intention of doing that. She had to find Natasha Romanoff.

Far away in New York, the woman in question was launching a scan for the Red Room's most recent graduate. A result hit in a little over four hours. This girl was good, Nat thought as she hit enter on a keyboard.

Three seconds later, the new phone Maeve had been given buzzed with an email. She quickly looked around to check for eavesdroppers and opened the email.

NYCPTUSPM

RN

Maeve studied the email for a few seconds, then the code clicked into place.

New York, Central Park, TUesday, Six PM. RN? It was code for something and then Maeve realised it was Natasha's initials backwards. Simple, yet effective she thought, the same as me! A quick reply was soon sent.

CRNMYT

RM

Copied Natasha Romanoff, Meet You There

Maeve Rimmer

Maeve was soon hopping onto a plane headed for New York, but not before disabling the tracker she knew was hidden in her phone. Soon it lay in a dustbin near the airport check in desk, and Maeve was on the 8 hour flight to New York.

NOTE:

Sorry this ones so short guys, I had a bit of writers block!


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys, sorry I haven't posted anything for a while, I've been pretty busy with school, hope you like, as always!**

Chapter 4

As she stepped out of the airport and onto the streets of New York, Maeve decided to head straight to Central park. It was 4:00 pm and she reckoned that the walk would take an hour.

An hour and a half later, Maeve collapsed onto a wooden bench in the centre of the park. It was a wide open space, so there was no chance of anyone sneaking up on her, but it was easy to be seen in. Maeve pulled the neck of her hoodie up over her nose and mouth to stop the cool autumn air from chilling her, and slouched back against the bench.

Within fifteen minutes, Maeve felt a strange feeling wash over her, like she was being watched. Casually, so as not to draw attention to herself, she stood up and pretended to look around as if she had dropped something. Romanoff would be checking her out for weapons, she presumed, so when her eyes fell upon the red haired woman walking towards her, she smiled slightly and patted her right hand pocket, where a small handgun was concealed.

Maeve slowly turned and walked away from the woman, heading down a small path that led behind a group of trees. The approaching footsteps were closer now, and since the two women were hidden by the foliage, Maeve turned and said: "so, what does and avenger want with a Red Room graduate?" Studying her face, Maeve could see that behind Natasha's business like mask lay empathy, or even kindness.

"I've come to make you an offer" the avenger said softly in American tones, with a hint of Russian still mixed in. " I can give you a chance to be free from the Red Room forever. To do something good with your life. To wipe put the guilt that haunts every graduate still alive".

"Sounds alright, but how do you know you can trust me?"

"If I couldn't, you'd be in Russia right now" Natasha smiled, enjoying how much the girl thought and acted like herself.

"Fair point. Are we leaving?" Maeve asked

"Follow me" with that, the two women re-joined the main path and headed towards the Avengers Tower, not speaking, but feeling the others presence and feeling comforted by it. For Natasha, Maeve was someone who she could sympathise with, and who understood her. For Maeve, Natasha was the only friend and ally she had in the world, and she would need her more than she would guess in the next few days.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Upon reaching to foot of the Avengers Tower, Maeve started to show her slightly more vulnerable and self-conscious side.

"Oh my god, I don't think I can do this" she breathed.

"Of course you can", Nat said. "You're the best red Room graduate to ever live. This is nothing compared to what you've been through."

"I-I guess…"

Together, they walked through the doors and into the lobby.

As Maeve stood in the glass elevator that was taking them to the avengers' private floors, Maeve took in the beauty of New York.

 _Ding ding._

"Welcome home, Miss Romanoff" said a disembodied voice.

"That's JARVIS", Natasha explained. Maeve could only nod and swallow nervously, yet she put her head up, shoulder back and followed Natasha Romanoff into the room. Immediately, there was a chorus of greetings for Natasha, and then silence fell as the inhabitants realised she was there. After a few seconds, Nat said "I got her guys, this is Maeve".

"Hey" Maeve said. There was another moment of silence, the Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, said, "hey kiddo", and the other avengers bombarded her with greetings. By the time Maeve had been sat down and a drink pushed into her hands, she had been hugged by Pepper, had her hair ruffled by Clint Barton, shaken hands with Bruce Banner, hugged Steve Rogers and been called 'kiddo' numerous times by Tony. It was exhausting, but after every avenger had made the request, Maeve told them why Nat had brought her there. It took a whule since all kinds of questions were asked: "Are you better than Romanoff" (Tony); "Can you use a bow and arrow?" (Clint); "How good are you with tech/science?" (Bruce and Tony), but finally she finished. At the end, nat looked at her and said, "We need to go to the gym. You've still got a lot to show us."

Maeve visibly paled and stuttered. "H-here?" she gasped. "I'll hurt someone- Nat come on you know I can't…"

"Doesn't matter. Come on, it'll do you good." Nat responded, and beckoned everyone to follow her. An elevator ride and short walk later, Maeve was stood at the centre of the gym, having ignored all question on the way down, trying her best not to throw up from nerves and excitement. Now she was ready. A spark, then a small flame appeared in her palm. She spun aaround, the fire trailing from both palms, the energy flowing through her easily, as though she had never stopped using it in the red Room. She shot some fireballs towards the wall, dissolving them before they could do any damage. Arms rising and falling in time with her breathing, Maeve could feel the fire rising and falling with her body movements. Out of the corner of her eye she saw nat bringing in a huge barrel of water, and as the flames died down she lifted the water out and swirled it around her. In a few explosive movements she was running, no skating, on a curve of ice, which quickly turned back into water and created a funnel around her body. She rose u with the water, feeling it twisting and turning like a wild animal under her feet. She whipped around the room like a tornado, feeling the energy building in her while body, trying to control it, but she had to let go.

The water spiralled back into the barrel, as Maeve let the power she possessed rip through her slim frame. Her eyes glowed gold, and an aura of the same colour surrounded her body. She rose a few feet off the ground and gold tendrils of raw power snaked across the room. As the avenger watched, awed by the energy and power that emanated from the young woman, the glow reached its brightest, and Maeve seemed to wake up, drawing the particles back into her body, the glow slowly following. As her feet returned to the ground, Maeve's eyes returned to their normal grey, and she swayed slightly where she stood. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by her knees giving way. She slumped to the floor and footsteps told her that someone was nearby. She expected nat to be speaking to her, but the arms that lifted her were strong and muscular, yet exceedingly gentle. Maeve turned her head and found the piercing blue eyes of Steve Rogers locked onto her grey ones, then he looked away and spoke to Tony. "Where's she staying?" he asked.

"With me, obviously", Natasha answered for him.

The last thing Maeve remembered was lying in Steve's arms with the glass elevator bouncing autumn sunlight around them, before her brain gave in to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Maeve awoke in Natasha's room, and looked around sleepily. She saw various cupboards and two wardrobes, one standing empty except for five different shopping bags inside it. Natasha herself was sleeping on a couch in the opposite corner to the bed Maeve had recently vacated. She slipped quietly into her running gear, (one of the few things brought from the Red Room), taking comfort in the familiar material. The newest member to the tower heard footsteps down the corridor and the lift doors opening. Speeding out the bedroom door, Maeve saw Steve Rogers, similarly dressed in running attire. He grinned when he saw what she was wearing and held the doors so she could slip inside the lift.

"So" he said, "you're a runner too?"

"Yep" Maeve said with a small laugh. "Though from what I've heard I'll have to do my best to keep up". She could tell that Steve was a great runner from the way he held himself, slightly forward in the balls of his feet, with a straight back and good posture all round.

"Well, I don't know if you'll be able to..." He trailed off, the challenge hanging in the air.

"You're gonna eat your words, Capsicle" Maeve smirked.

The pair grabbed bottles of water and discussed running. Turned out that both Maeve and Steve preferred Adidas, and they both liked to track run sometimes, both running the 800m, though Maeve also ran 400m. Soon, they had reached the street.

"Well, let's see if you can keep up" Steve said, laughing slightly before setting off at a brisk jog. _Well, I'm not letting him set the pace_ , Maeve thought as she over took him and began to run, relishing the feeling of her feet hitting the pavement and the exhilaration at the competition that her and Steve seemed to be having. As they reached Central Park, he started to sprint, Maeve following quickly. She began to lose herself in it, vaguely aware of the corners and paths that her and Steve were racing on. It was incredible. The speed which she maintained was starting to feel a bit slow, so Maeve took the lead and really stretched her legs, pumping her arms and creating a gap that Steve only just managed to close. She smiled as she saw the surprised look on his face (he looked like his eyes would pop out of his head, really) as she once again sprinted forward to create a gap. She loved the exhilarating feeling of her lungs and legs burning from the run, and she could have kept going forever, but soon they had made it back to the tower, both gasping like fish out of water. Before she could even say anything, Maeve just burst out laughing, remembering the look on Steves face as she had raced past. Her laughter was infectious, and soon the two of them were in stitches in the elevator back to the avengers' communal floor.

"Well let's see if you can keep up", Maeve imitated Steve's voice as they stepped into the 'living room' and pulled the face Steve had made as she ran past. Of course, that just made them both laugh even more, drawing looks from Bruce and Tony in the kitchen. Clint and Natasha looked up from the TV programme they were watching and both sat there looking amused.

"Sooooo..." Barton said. "What's the uproar about?"

"Steve just got his ass whipped on a run", Maeve laughed and once again pulled that surprised face to annoy the captain. The whole team cracked up, and for once, Maeve felt like she could have actually belonged there.

"You may have beat me in the run, but wait until training later" Steve said, looking slightly embarrassed at the sniggers Tony kept coming out with. Maeve quickly saluted, saying: "Aye sir!". As Natasha teased him about Erin another beating.

"Alright, alright shut it you two", Steve said as Natasha and Maeve grinned at each other. They started to giggle, so Clint punched Nat and yelled: "Shut up this is a good programme!", while Steve had picked up Maeve and spun her around, which only served to make her squeal and laugh more. She wriggled away from him turned at the door.

"I'm going for a shower, I'll be back in a few minutes" Maeve yelled as she strode out the door and back to the lift.


	7. Chapter 7

The Avenger in Red

Chapter 7

The rest of Maeve's day passed in a blur. She had a meeting with Director Fury and Agent Maria Hill, who asked the usual questions, ("why did you leave the Red Room", "What do you want from S.H.I.E.L.D", etc.) then dismissed her. After that she had gone to the training area and kicked Steve's ass again, much to Tony's amusement, until she had fought him and torn his Iron Man suit off of him piece by piece with her new found ability to control metal after JARVIS had scanned her and found an anomaly in her neural patterns. Then it was everyone else's turn to laugh as he ran around trying to avoid being doused in water by Maeve (who succeeded in about 10 seconds). Straight after training she went to hone her accuracy skills with Clint, who helped her transfer her skills to the bow and arrow. Finally, it was off to the showers for the second time that day.

The highlight had been dinner though, the main attraction being Clint dropping out of the vents (he always seemed to be in there) and landing on Natasha, who practically drop kicked him back to his own seat. Rubbing his backside, Clint had moaned for the rest of the meal, until Maeve had threatened to dangle him from the ceiling with his cutlery, making good on her threat 10 minutes later.

Now Maeve was sat in her room (her own room, in between Natasha and Bruce, and opposite Steve). Tony was in the middle of redoing the Avengers Tower after the Loki incident, meaning the avengers shared a floor for their bedrooms until the remodelling was done. After that, if Fury decided she could join the team, Maeve would have her own floor of the tower. For now though, one room it was. She tossed and turned for at least two hours, not wanting to face the unavoidable nightmares. Eventually sleep claimed her, and she sank into the black pit of guilt and anger that became her dreams.

" _You're weak" the voices hissed. Maeve stood in an abandoned version of the Avengers tower, hearing the voices of her fellow trainees. They haunted her, following her wherever she went. Her room was deserted, so she backed down the corridor to the lift. On the way down, the voices whispered the cruel, harsh truths of her life. She was a waste. Unwanted. Untrustworthy. Dangerous. A cold, heartless machine. Then the lift dinged open and her supposedly cold heart nearly stopped. Steve Rogers was lying there, curled up in a ball while the voices she heard had taken form and were beating, slashing and shooting him with guns and knives and fists and feet. She screamed and screamed, hers mingling with his that had suddenly become deafening in her ears, before the floor fell away and she woke up._

"Maeve, Maeve! It's okay, you had a nightmare, it's just a dream it's alright!" A male voice whispered and the girl stopped struggling in his arms and looked up, her eyes wet and tired. She groaned when she saw Steve himself looking at her, not bruised and bloody, but perfectly fine, not an injury to be seen.

"I'm sorry I woke you up, it was just a nightmare…" Maeve out her head in her hands and wiped her eyes, then tried to protest and send Steve back to bed, but he wouldn't listen.

"It's fine. I was having trouble sleeping anyway. It must have been some nightmare because I couldn't wake you for at least five minutes." Steve said softly, his eyes full of concern. "Do you want to talk about it?" Maeve shook her head, but the words came tumbling out anyway:

"I was here, in the tower, but there were voices everywhere, the ones of the people I trained with, in the- in that place. They were whispering stuff in my ears, calling me unwanted and untrustworthy, like a cold, heartless machine. The followed me everywhere, until I reached the living room. Then I saw…" She didn't want to tell him what she'd seen, but took a deep breath before continuing anyway. "I saw you, lying on the floor being beaten by the voices, but they had actual bodies now… they had guns and knives and were kicking and punching you. Then the floor fell away and I woke up here."

Now that Maeve had told someone about her dream, she felt weak and stupid. She turned away from Steve and read her clock, which said 3:00am. The soldier, who had said nothing as she explained, now took her hand and turned her towards him. It was incredible, the way his blue eyes could lock onto hers and know exactly how she was feeling.

"You don't need to be ashamed of these nightmares, it's not a sign of weakness at all. You're a brave and strong person for coming to us, and what you can do is just incredible." Steve said slowly. It was what Maeve wanted to hear, and she felt better for it.

"I really am sorry I woke you up, you can go back to bed now Steve…" Maeve whispered, her eyes dry now, and she was returning to her normal self. At the sound of his name, a small smile twisted Steve's mouth, and he hugged Maeve gently before releasing her and walking to the door.

"I'll see you for our run tomorrow then" he grinned and walked out the door, and Maeve had seen a slight blush creep across his cheeks after he hugged her. With the lingering feeling of his arms around her acting like a shield, she fell into a dreamless sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

The Avenger in Red

Chapter 8

Once again, Maeve found herself running with Steve in the morning, who had looked extremely surprised to see her up and ready.

"Have you actually slept?" He asked incredulously.

"Ye-e-e-e-s" Maeve said through a yawn. "Ish", she added mater of factly. After that, the pair left for central park.

When they arrived back at the tower, everyone seemed stressed. Steve, who knew what this meant, explained that a mission report must have come in.

"Time to see if you're an Avenger or not." He said.

Maeve struggled between excitement and anxiety. What if she didn't make it? She'd have to leave the tower. Leave what felt like a family for the first time in a long time.

Turned out she had nothing to worry about. There was a file in the mix with her name printed in very official looking letters. It showed plans of a Sokovian Hydra base, where Loki's sceptre was being kept. There were also two genetically modified twins there, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. As she looked up from the file, everyone congratulated her, and she turned back to Steve, who had stood in the doorway with his file, watching how happy Maeve had become. He hugged her tightly, and Natasha later told her that that wasn't normal for him, but Maeve didn't care. She was an Avenger.

Now Maeve was stood in her familiar red jumpsuit, which still fitted to her like a second skin, accentuating her waist and hugging her defined shoulders. Two small pistols were strapped to each thigh, the black straps crossing over each other once and joining back to the holster. A knife was strapped to her left bicep with the same type of black straps and another inside the lining other suit, just for emergencies. A black belt also fitted snugly around her waist, with ammo, a few grenades and two pouches full of water on each side.

Finally Nat came in dressed in similar clothing and weaponry, holding what looked like two black batons, each with a dull blue strip down each side. They became slimmer at the end with rubber grips, like handles.

"Buzz batons", she explained to Maeve, then directed her attention to a small button on the top of the grips. "These power up the things, the rubber insulates your hands and they carry a charge of 100 volts, so don't use them lightly". Maeve grinned and pressed both buttons. Immediately, the blue strips glowed electric blue and she could hear the hum of electricity coursing through them.

"Thanks Nat, are you coming downstairs now?" Maeve said

"Yeah, Thor has just arrived so I'd hurry if I were you"

Maeve powered down the weapons and tucked them into two loops on either side of her belt, which must have been specially made, now that she thought about it.

The two women quickly made their way to the elevator, and met Bruce there, who smiled shyly at Natasha and said hi to Maeve. On the way down she learned about a lullaby that he and Natasha had come up with to reverse the hulk transformation at the end of a battle. The elevators dinged open and Natasha and Bruce walked into the living room. Everyone was there, including a tall blonde man who must obviously be Thor.

As Maeve walked in the whole room fell silent. Any doubts of her not being capable enough were blown out the window as she stepped into the light and her features were thrown into extreme detail. Tony in his Iron Man suit, Clint with his bow and arrows, Steve in his Captain America suit; she looked as dangerous as any of them.

"Holy sh-" Tony began, but was elbowed by Steve, who still looked stunned and said:

"Looks like we've got our newest Avenger."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The quinjet was warm and extremely high tech. Tony's stealth technology made it unfindable, so they approached the Hydra base with no resistance. After that it was easy to disarm a passing patrol and take the jeep, then a slight glitch with border security alerted the inhabitants to their presence.

"Right it's time to move", said Steve, immediately assuming his commanding role to get the team ready. "Romanoff, Barton, you're going to stay with the jeep. Stark and Thor, you're up top, Stark you have to get inside that building and come back for Maeve once you're inside. For now she can stay with me and we'll take the bike. Banner, this is a code green, so as soon as we stop, you get out and you get angry. Everyone clear?"  
There was a general murmur of assent and Steve lead Maeve to the back compartment of the jeep, where they had stored a motorcycle from the Quinjet.  
"Nice bike" Maeve commented.  
"Isn't it just" Steve replied. The jeep came to at stop and Banner ran off into the trees.  
"He doesn't like to change near people" Tony said as he flew into the air. Steve lifted the bike out onto the ground and climbed on motioning for Maeve to get on behind him.  
"Keep them away from the bike, any tanks and soldiers, use fire or a knife you can call back. You won't be able to aim with guns here." Maeve put her hands around Steve's waist as she sat in the motorcycle, and as he started the engine she yelled,  
"You think I can't aim? Just watch and see old man".  
Maeve pulled out one pistol, always keeping an arm firmly locked around Steve's torso. There were two soldiers on the left with snipers. Two shots and they fell like tin men. She had a brief giggle as Tony swore and Steve yelled "language!" Knowing he would never hear the end of it.

As Steve and Maeve sped around a corner past the jeep, there were men everywhere. Soon she couldn't reload, and resorted to fireballs, taking out multiple targets at a time, until Tony was in her ear, telling her to jump, and Steve also said it, since he was going to flip the bike into a tank. Standing on the seat with her hands like vices on Steve's shoulders, Maeve launched herself into the air and was swept up and away by Stark. It was incredible, flying trough the air, twisting and turning as they avoided the energy weapons that had been deployed to stop them. Suddenly, Maeve saw two people stood atop one of the forts battlements. It was the Maximoff twins.

"Tony, drop me here!" Maeve yelled into her earpiece. Then she was falling, fire spurting out of her palms like a miniature jet pack, bringing her safely down to the same wall the twins stood on.  
They both looked at her, then the woman shot something red out of her hands at Maeve. She repelled it, and the energy force was something like her own.  
"Pretty lights" Maeve smirked, "but they won't help you against me". With that, she summoned a huge ball of golden energy and shot it towards the woman. As she did, the male, Pietro, sprinted towards her but she was ready for it. Ducking under the blue blur that was him, she powered up her buzz batons and stuck both out to the side as he came back towards her. Suddenly she could see him again, clutching his stomach and right thigh where she had shocked him. They both stood looking at her for a few seconds, before Wanda was swept up by Pietro and carried towards her. This time Maeve wasn't fast enough for the pass and the wave of red energy that was meant to manipulate her mind hit her stomach as she half dodged it and blasted her into the air.  
"Okay, now I'm mad." Growled Maeve as the speedster came to a halt in front of her as she struggled to her feet.  
"That all you got?" He laughed, before he was slammed in the face by a streak of water, knocking him onto his back and freezing him there. Wanda also suffered a similar fate, being backed up to the wall by Maeve's fire and the pinned there by ice shards.  
"Cap, I have the twins here, they're in a bit of a... cold situation" she grinned. "What should I do with them?"  
"Nothing for now, leave them and get inside to Stark, he's just leaving with the sceptre. And keep safe, there's still soldiers everywhere!" Came his reply.

When Maeve found Tony he was suited up with the sceptre in hand.  
"What, were you asleep or something?" He said, but his sarcastic mood seemed dampened and Maeve suspected that Wanda had been messing with his mind.  
"You okay Tony? You seem a bit... Off." She said. Tony just handed her the sceptre, picked her up and took off, leaving her with Steve and Thor before heading back to the Quinjet with it.  
"Maeve duck!" Yelled Steve, before his shield went whizzing over her head and knocked down a row of men.  
"Thanks" she said before flipping over a group and buzzing them with her batons. The next man to approach her was unlucky. Very unlucky. She hooked her knee around his elbow and used momentum to swing herself up and onto his shoulders, before flipping backward and throwing him into a tree, his head cracking against the bark. He slid down the trunk with a groan and didn't get back up.  
"Jeez Maeve, you're lethal!" Steve said before throwing himself back into the battle.

A slight break, then out of the corner of her eye Maeve saw a new weapon being carried towards them. It looked like an energy weapon but... different somehow. It was aimed at Thor.  
"Thor watch out!" She screamed and launched herself towards him but she knew it was too late. The weapon had already fired and the asgardian was too busy fighting another guy to notice. There was a flash, then Thor was gone. Well, not gone exactly but...  
"He's a little kid!" Steve yelped, surprised to see a tiny, blonde, four year old Thor wielding Mjolnir.  
"We need to go. Now!" He said to Maeve and she scooped up the child, who yelled shrilly:  
"Thor will be back! Unhand me fair lady!"  
"Christ, I liked him better when he didn't have a higher voice than me" she muttered as they sprinted back to the Quinjet. When the doors closed, the whole team looked at little Thor (still holding his hammer) and wondered what the hell had happened.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"I am the mighty Thor!"  
"Okay"  
"My enemies shall cower in fear!"  
"Keep dreaming kid"  
"They shall run from the power of Asgard!"  
"Ass-guard?!"  
"Tony!"  
"What? That's what he said Rogers!"  
"No he said as-gard"  
"Ah whatever we have a meeting so let's give him to Barton and Maeve".  
"Okay good idea"  
Tony and Steve walked Thor to the target room, where Clint was showing Maeve how to transfer her knife and gun skills to the bow and arrow. She picked it up quickly and had hit a few bullseyes, her latest one as the small child walked through the door.  
"Hey boys, had any fun?" She asked, setting down the weapon and picking up Thor.  
"You're my lucky charm", she said smiling.  
"Unhand me Lady Maeve, it is not warrior like to be held by a fair maiden such as you!" The four year old squirmed in her arms and Maeve released him.  
"Looks like you got an admirer, huh" Steve said grinning at her.  
"Oh it's weird. 'Lady Maeve', I feel like I'm in medieval England or something".  
"It suits you actually, you look like you could be a queen or something" he mumbled, blushing slightly and not looking at Maeve.  
"You flatter me, Sir Steve" Maeve smiled in return, mock curtsying in his direction. Steve caught on quickly and bowed at her before laughing and turning to go.  
"You two can handle him for a few hours right? Stark and I have a meeting with Fury."  
"Sounds boring. Have fun" Clint shouted while he held the bow out of Thor's reach.  
"Hey, little man, want to go on an adventure?" Clint said to the child.  
"I am Thor, mighty warrior of Asgard and I am always ready for adventure!" Came the delighted squeal.  
"Barton no way are you- you are. Oh my god you actually are..." Maeve yelped as Clint began unscrewing a ventilation panel.  
"Yep, and you're coming with us. Now I'll get in, you pass up Thir and I'll pull you up. Ready?" The archer swing himself into the hole and Maeve lifted Thor after him. Then, she scrambled up to their vantage point with Clint's helping hand.  
"Right. Now then, where do we want to go little man?"  
"The roof! Then the kitchen. Warrior Thor is hungry!"  
The two adults laughed, then Clint began to lead them up towards the roof vents.

30 minutes of crawling and lifting later, Barton, Thor and Maeve stood on the roof watching the hustle and bustle of New York.  
"It's amazing..." Maeve said dreamily.  
"Yep, but the air is horrid up here sometimes so let's get back to the kitchen."  
"Agreed. I'm starving!"  
That's when they realised Thor had disappeared, the ventilation hatch to their left stood open and they could hear his scuffles fading away.  
Maeve and Clint looked at each other as if to say 'oh crap', then each sprinted towards the hole.  
"I'll take the inside, you take the vents" Maeve yelled as she ran back towards the stairs.  
"JARVIS! Where is Thor?!" She nearly screamed as she threw herself down the flights of stairs.  
"I believe he is in the accommodation floor vents" came the reply.  
"Barton, he's in the accommodation floor vents. Can you get there?"  
"No I'm near the kitchen. You're closer. God Steve's gonna kill us."  
"Not if we find that damn four year old first. I am not getting lectured by Capsicle."  
"As if he'd lecture you, the guy's crazy about you". Clint's statement startled Maeve and she stuttered over the radio.  
"W-what? Really?"  
The archer laughed and started yelling at her about was she blind or just stupid, then said yes.  
"Well, we need to find Thor. JARVIS, where is he?"  
"Still near Miss Romanoff's room. I believe he has fallen asleep."  
Good. Maeve thought. I can put him to bed then watch a film or something.

10 minutes later Thor was tucked up in bed and his door locked so he couldn't escape and go 'adventuring' again.  
"I'm going watching a film. You coming?" Clint said, and Maeve agreed. After that stressful episode, she needed it!  
"What film, Katniss?"  
"Lord of the rings. You seen them?"  
"Actually yes. I love the books too"  
"Well, we're watching the last one since it's the best".  
The two friends say on the couch, Maeve curled up like a cat at one end, Clint starfishing at the other. The film was good, but halfway through Maeve got bored since she had seen it so many times. Clint was fidgeting do she threw a pillow at him.  
"Keep still you weirdo! It was your idea to watch a film" she laughed at him.  
"Oh yeah? Bring it on newbie. No one beats me at pillow fights."  
Maeve didn't reply, but threw another cushion and ducked behind the table that sat to one side. Soon she was being pelted by various cushions, which piled around her until she nearly vanished.  
"Why do you have so many cushions?!" She laughed as she saw Clint's head pop out from behind the sofa.  
"Well you never know when you might-" he was cut off by two pillows, one in his face, one in his stomach.  
"Head shot! Oh yeah!" Maeve screamed then ran round to attack Clint close range, who also picked up cushions and began to swat at Maeve. They hit each other over the head a few times, then two of the cushions burst upon impact, showering them both in white feathers. They broke down in fits of laughter, each collapsing into his or her own pile of pillows.  
"I think I won" Maeve said, voice muffled by the mountain of cushions she sat atop. That kicked everything off again, shrieks and laughter ringing through the halls, until Steve and Tony walked in the door. And got hit in the face by pillows flying everywhere.  
"Bring it on, Katniss!" Maeve was yelling, while Clint preferred to shout  
"Going down, Kiddo!"  
Then they realised that there were two people in the door. Both looking annoyed with the pillows everywhere, and the breathless, supposedly professional adults running round the room smacking each other with cushions.  
"Ohhhhhhhh. Hi guys!" Clint said brightly.  
"Good to see you back!" Maeve waved near the wall vent. Tony just growled.  
"Not good. Maeve get in the vent!" Clint yelled and boosted her up, following as Steve tied to grab his ankles. He got one, but Maeve dragged the archer to safety inside.  
"Let's go" Clint laughed and they crawled off towards the kitchen, then stopped.  
"Lady Maeve! Sir Clint! Your adventure trick even works in my room!" A voice squeaked.  
"Oh no..." Maeve and Clint gasped as none other than Thor crawled around the corner.


	11. Chapter 11

Maeve and Clint had gotten a lecture after they had been discovered with their in the vents. JARVIS was to blame, since he had told Tony that Thor was with them. If that hadn't had happened then they would have been fine. Now they had had to endure a lecture from Steve AND Tony, who never usually said anything. Although Maeve didn't get much of a lecture, just a: "and you went along with it?!"

Now it was Tony's turn to babysit Thor. Maeve was reading in her room after her run that morning when she was called to Tony's lab.

"Hey kiddo, come on down to the lab, I have a surprise for you!" His voice crackled over the intercom.

"Alright Tony this had better be good, I'm still bored from your lecture yesterday." She said as she walked in.

He hugged her and then said:

"I've been thinking about your metal control abilities. They can be used in combat but I've created this."

He stepped away from his workbench to reveal an incredible, sleek blue grey oval, like a board. It had to foot holds in it and rectangles next to them but Maeve didn't know what they were for.

"This is a board of pure platinum. Every mechanism for the foot holds and the entire board is the finest grade platinum. Think of it as an 'I'm sorry' present." He said.

"It's incredible! But... Why do this? I mean, I'm new to the team and you barely know me... Plus how do I use it? I'm gonna be like the silver surfer."

"Completely different. You're gonna be a platinum surfer raining fire and water and knifes on people." Tony laughed. "Now, you'll have to move the metal while you're stood on it. Think you can do it?"

"Uhhhh... Maybe?" Maeve said nervously.

"Well, hop on! The foot plates are calculated to your exact weight so only you can activate the board. Just incase there's someone else who can move metal".

Maeve nervously stepped onto the metal contraption, and sure enough, two straps with metal strips on the end were shot out and magnetised to the other side of her feet, anchoring her in place.

"Okay, foot straps are magnetised in place, let's try hovering" Tony said excitedly.

"Okay..."

Maeve concentrated on the metal board beneath her, and raised her arms to shoulder height. The board hovered a metre off the ground.

"Tony! I did it!" She yelped, surprised at how that had gone.

"Great, now just touch back down, and we can take it to the gym and have you flying round properly." He said, smiling.

In the gym Steve and Barton looked around when Maeve, Tony and Thor (who had tagged along) came in, excitedly whispering and Maeve holding the board.

"Well, what's this?" Clint said, hugging Maeve and eyeing the board.

"Tony made it. It's kinda like a metal control powered hover board."

" Stark, I don't see how you came up with this idea. Honestly" Steve said and squeezed Maeve's hand before walking to the edge of the gym. That gesture did not go unnoticed by Clint and Tony, who sniggered slightly.

The two stepped back and Maeve once again stepped onto the board, straps locking into place immediately. She hovered, and gingerly moved her arms forward, yelling and nearly losing her balance as it shot forward. She stopped again and landed. Shaking slightly. Steve and Thor were there next to her, but she shook them both off saying,

"I'm fine, I'm fine, just a shock".

She tried again. And again. On the fourth attempt, she successfully skated around the whole gym. Now she had the hang of it, Maeve loved the feeling of flying on this metal contraption.

"Tony, can this thing go upside down and everything?" She asked.

"Maeve please, this board can go wherever your metal control can take it. This is me we're talking about!"

"Deflate your head Stark!" She said before flying off again, spiralling up to the ceiling then flipping over and soaring in a graceful (albeit upside down) arc back to the ground. She climbed off, shaking slightly. Tony looked delighted.

"Thank you so much Tony! I love this thing." She exclaimed, hugging him tightly. Then there was a small hand tugging at her jacket sleeve.

"Lady Maeve, may I have a go of your flying board?" Thor asked.

"Hop on with me" and the two did a couple of laps round the gym, Thor screeching in delight, then she handed the board back to Tony. The man took the board back to his lab for some fine tuning, and the archer went to the kitchen, Thor running excitedly after him. Only Steve and Maeve remained.

"I don't know if I've ever seen a four year old eat as much as Thor," she grumbled. "We have no food left."

Steve laughed and just looked at her, smiling slightly, apparently in a daze.

"What?" She said to him, and he started, blushing slightly as he realised he's been staring at her.

"Uh, nothing..." He mumbled

"Come oooonnnnn Steve, what you thinking about?"

"It's nothing honestly..." He said, not meeting her eye.

"Hey!" Maeve exhaled and grabbed Steve's hand as he turned to leave. "You can tell me what's wrong. There's something and you won't tell me."

The soldier looked down at their entwined fingers and took a few deep breaths, before saying:

"I... Look, these past few weeks we've gotten really close, and the months you've spent here have been amazing. Everyone has loved you and I'm... I'm no exception. Except maybe... Ugh I can't do this. Except maybe I'm feeling differently to the way Tony and Clint feel about you. With them it's like a dad, or a brother. Me? It's... More. That's the only way I can explain it." Maeve stood shocked into silence for a few seconds. She had been told Steve liked her and she knew she liked him in that way too, but she hadn't expected this.

 _Well_ , she thought, _I may as well make at least one mistake while I'm here. With that thought_ , she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Steve's. Only for a second, but that brief moment of contact between them had awakened the blonde man and he swept her up, laughing and hugging her tightly. Maeve soon found herself laughing too and put her forehead against Steve's.

"Is that what you meant?" She asked, still giggling slightly.

"You know, I think it might have been!" He smirked in return. Then his lips were pressed against hers again, but they didn't go any further than that. Neither of them wanted that kind of relationship. Just one where they were there for each other, not being intimate.

Suddenly, they gym was filled with whistles and shouts. Nat, Tony, Clint and Bruce were stood here, laughing and grinning at the couple, Maeve still in Steve's arms.

"I called it! I called it!" Clint shouted as he took $10 from Tony and Nat. Bruce was just smiling and as Steve released Maeve he came over and grinned at them both.

"I tried to stop them coming down here but, you know these lot." He laughed and looked at their radiant faces. The three of them laughed and joined the others.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi guys! Sorry this one took so long, I've been really busy with school at the minute. I would really appreciate some reviews to let me know how I'm doing! As always, this is for you guys.**

It had been 2 weeks since the scene in the gym, and now Tony was only just getting round to throwing his party, which was extremely out of character. Thor of course, was now back to normal thanks to a repeat mission to the base from Steve and Clint. Maeve and Natasha were currently on a shopping spree. It was so much fun that Maeve stopped looking at the dresses for a while and just laughed and joked with Nat, until she saw the perfect dress. It was a slim, fitted dress with looser material at the legs and a slit up to her mid thigh. The neck wasn't too low and had a cut out back. She fell in love with the bold red colour and immediately asked to try it on.

"Nat, Nat look at this dress!" She whispered since the shop they were in was quite posh and sophisticated. Nat looked it over and turned to her, grinning.

"Well, you're just gonna look perfect for Spangles aren't you?" She said. "Go try it on!"

Half an hour later the pair walked out the shop holding multiple bags each. Since they were out with free reign on shopping they had also bought shoes, and practically a whole new wardrobe each, courtesy of Tony's perk of being a billionaire.

"This has been so much fun. I guess you haven't had many chances to go out for a good look around for girly stuff have you?" Maeve said to Nat.

"Nah. The boys just look at new boots, or a suit, or something else for a party. And this has been fun. Guess you never expected your first girls only shopping spree to be like this, huh?"

Maeve had to admit that she hadn't, so they returned to the Tower with their purchases and started to get ready.

"Where are they? It's been like three hours! Everyones gonna be here soon!" Clint moaned. He and the rest of the team couldn't wait to see what Maeve and Natasha looked like 'all dolled up' as Tony had said. As he spoke Pepper came through the doors looking stunning in her light blue dress. She kissed Tony on the cheek then announced: "They should be here any second, I think they got in the elevator after me."

Then the doors opened.

Natasha was the first one in, stepping to the side next to Barton. Maeve looked slightly less confident, but she seemed to emit a glow, which set off the red dress. The slit to her thigh showed the holster for her gun, and the winged eyeliner and mascara highlighted her grey eyes. Her normally curly blonde hair was straight and smooth, and flowed down her back. You could see Barton's eyes pop and Tony wolf whistled. Steve just stood there.

"What, do I look that bad?" She joked, earning a laugh from the girls, and walked up to Steve, waving a hand in front of his face to get his attention.

"You look beautiful..." He murmured in her ear as he hugged her tightly.

"Yeah, but you look like Prince Charming or something" she whispered back. It was true though, all of the men (even Clint) had scrubbed up nicely in their suits.

"You know Cap, I might just have to steal her off you for a bit tonight" Clint joked, also hugging Maeve, who said "You're not looking too shabby yourself, bird brain".

"Alright, alright, come on everyone's going to be here any second. Maeve, there's gonna be quite a lot of press and journalists here. Do not, I repeat, do not give them an interview under any circumstances. We all know how much they love us after the Iron legion stepped in at the Hydra base." Tony warned her.

"Maeve, a word" Steve beckoned her away for a second, before taking her hand and speaking softly. "Like Stark said, there's gonna be a lot of press here, so I don't think we should tell them about this, about us. I don't want to put you in any danger."

"Steve, seriously, you don't need to protect me all the time. I can take care of myself okay? We can tell them, and anyway, it means I can keep any of Starks, uh... admirers away from you." She kissed him softly and took his hand. "Come on Capsicle, let's go have some fun".


	13. Chapter 13

The party had been a riot, with Tony getting way too drunk and singing 'Fairytale of New York' for some reason or another. About halfway through Maeve had seen Natasha and Bruce slip off together, reappearing a while later acting like they hadn't been gone. The highlight had been some slow song or another coming on, and Steve dancing with her, swaying backwards and forwards in time to the music.

Now all the guests had left, and it was just the team plus Sam Wilson and Maria Hill. The men were all trying to lift Thor's hammer, to no success obviously. It was comical, watching Clint straining to lift the object.

"Come on Bird Brain, it's only a hammer surely you can at least lift that!" She teased him, earning her a scowl from the archer and a laugh from everyone else.

"Alright then Miss I Can Do Anything, you try it!" He said. Maeve was about to reply but then there was a ding, and the elevator doors opened to reveal a decrepit robot that seemed to be pieced together from parts of the Iron Leigon.

It spoke. Something about another guy, and how it had to kill him. The voice was definitely male though.

"Ultron..." Stark whispered to himself.

"Ultron. Are you joking? Tony you mean that JARVIS found a way to get him online?" Bruce was talking now, stumbling over the words like he was happy but completely and utterly terrified at the same time.

"Stark, explain now." Steve sounded incredulous, but also very worried. Maeve had obviously missed something.

"Okay boys, time out. What's Ultron?" She asked.

"It's an idea that Tony and I came up with. A robot, or group of them that could be programmed to think for themselves and bring peace to the world. We didn't expect this." Bruce explained to her.

"Okay. So instead of a peace bringing robot we get a psycho maniac who we had no idea was online? Great plan guys." Maeve rolled her eyes while the rest of the team shifted nervously.

Suddenly, a shadow flew towards them. An Iron Leigon robot, which must have been taken over by this Ultron guy, was blasting its way into the tower.

"Cover!" She heard Steve yell, before the robot hit her squarely in the stomach and she was flying backwards into the nearest wall, which nearly crumbled with the combined force of metal and Maeve's body. Immediately, she recovered due to an adrenaline burst and ripped out the exposed wires at the back of its neck.

"Ow..." She groaned and gingerly touched her abdomen. It didn't hurt that much, but Maeve was pretty sure that she would have bruising all over her body for at least a week. But that wasn't her biggest problem. The problem was the rest of the Iron Leigon inside the tower attacking the Avengers. Maeve had no weapon, but she did have her metal control powers.

Alright, no pressure, she told herself, and focused on the group of robots. Some of their components were plastic, but she was only concerned with the metal wires and outer casings.

 _Crash_.

Ten robots fell to the floor in pieces, as Maeve doubled over from a sudden burst of pain in her stomach. Her adrenaline had worn off and now she was exposed to the full complaints of her body. A laugh sounded in her ears, which was quickly silenced with a clang and some crashes.

"Hey kiddo, are you alright? You did great back there. Come on, let's get you to the infirmary." Clint was talking to her, and she agreed regardless of what he was saying.


	14. Chapter 14

Maeve woke up in the infirmary, still aching. A lot.  
"Ow..." She groaned, then nearly screamed as someone shifted beside her and lifted their head up. Steve, of course it was him. He'd been holding her hand, but quickly released it and called for the nurse.  
"Okay Maeve, I'd just like you to relax. The impact from that drone cause a lot of internal bruising and there was quite a few scratches that we had to patch up. Just relax and we'll have a look under these dressings then see how you feel okay?" The nurse spoke quickly and confidently, sure of what she was doing. While the dressings that covered Maeve's whole stomach were removed Steve called the rest of the team up. As they came in, Maeve cringed at the mess that was her stomach. She was black, purple, yellow, green and blue with bruises, which was interlaced with thin scratches that criss crossed her torso.  
"I feel like a rainbow gone wrong" she moaned. Tony chuckled then ruffled her hair. "How you feeling then kid?" He asked. Maeve shrugged.  
"It only hurts when I breathe, so I should be great." She said sarcastically. Clint clipped her over the head gently as the nurse stepped forward again.  
"Well, the bruising is the main concern now, so I think that when the pain dies down a bit you can walk around the tower, but no training for at least a week. I mean that, we don't want any extra internal injuries okay?"  
"Sure Doc, whatever you say", she replied, not really thinking about the pain, more about any missions that might come up. "Stark, Cap, have any missions come through? What about Ultron? Did we trace him? And by the way, how bloody long have I been out?"  
"Uhhh, no, don't know, he's in the internet, and... A day and a half I think!" Tony reeled off.  
"Oh Christ." Maeve rolled her eyes. "Can I leave now?"  
"Sure, but take it easy."

It was decided that Maeve would stay in the main 'living room' for the avengers' quarters during the day, that way she was near to everyone and could still catch up on all the news. At night she would be helped back to her own room.  
"Ugh, I hate having to be helped and carried around so much!" She yelled as she doubled over trying to walk a day later. Most attempts ended up with her being carried back to the couch. "I hate being so helpless!"  
The whole team could see how frustrated she was, and they all tried their best to assist her, but Maeve was too headstrong; she wanted to be independent, so being a burden made her feel utterly useless.

Slowly, the days went by and Maeve was able to walk and care for herself normally. She felt a lot better, even when training kicked in again.  
"Barton!"  
"Sorry! Sorry! Are you alright?!"  
"Yeah sure you just slammed your foot into my already bruised stomach, I'm perfectly fine!"

It was by no means an easy ride, but Maeve managed to make it through a week, with no extra injuries and a perfectly healed stomach to show for it. Everyone except Tony were sat together in the living room and she stretched up, loving the feeling of being able to move freely again.  
"I swear to god, I've never seen someone stretch so much." Nat said to her.  
"So would you if you hadn't been able to move for the past week!" She stuck her foot out to trip her, and she stumbled into the kitchen.  
"Thank a lot!" She yelled back at her.  
"Maeve, get the team up to the meeting room, Fury's just arrived for an emergency briefing." Tony's voice spoke into her earpiece.  
"Sure, we'll be right up" she replied, then addressed the team. "Tony said Fury has just arrived for an emergency briefing or whatever, we need to get up to the meeting room."  
The team left their seats and headed upstairs, but when they got to the room Clint carried on walking to the end of the corridor. He started knocking on a door, and the last Maeve saw of him was it opening and he got pushed backwards by a pair of hands. 


	15. Chapter 15

Fanfic – TAIR

Chapter 15

"Sir, what's the briefing about?" Steve asked as he sat down. Maeve was wondering the same thing. Briefing was boring, and she wasn't in the best of moods anyway.

"It's about Agent Connor, Captain." Fury turned to Maeve. "You haven't met Lea yet due to your injury, but she's been here just over week after she was rescued from a HYDRA prison. We're transferring her to the Avengers Initiative Mark Two, a second group of people so we can spread ourselves out a bit more. Clear?"

"Crystal, sir." Maeve replied.

Just then the door opened, and Barton was followed in by a younger woman, about 21, who stared at Maeve until the director called them to attention and explained to her who Maeve was. Maeve then zoned out the rest of the conversation until Steve asked if she was getting transferred.

"No Captain, Maeve will be staying with your team." He told him. Maeve let out a small breath of relief as Steve turned to smile at her. She returned it, and held his gaze for a while. Then she returned to the conversation as Lea questioned Fury. Again.

"Director, I'd like to know why exactly I'm being transferred but this Maeve, isn't. Can I have a reason?" Lea demanded.

"Well, her record speaks for itself. Maeve has an incredible skill set, and has successfully completed a mission with her team."

"One mission doesn't speak for much, sir."

"She's been here for months, so she can work to everyone's needs and fits around the advantages and disadvantages of the team." Fury continued. "Given that fact that she is a Red Room assassin, Agent, and as well as that she can manipulate fire, water and metal, plus Maeve can control pure energy within herself, I believe she is better qualified than you!" Fury's voice had risen slightly, and Maeve tuned out again, until Lea butted in trying to demand information.

"... I'd like to know why I wasn't warned of this in advance." She said.

"The director can share whatever amount of information he pleases with you, if that is all or none of it, then it shouldn't be your concern. You've been here a week, you have no right to go around demanding information left, right and center." Maeve said coldly.

"Oh really? Well, I'm sorry 'your highness' but I'd like to know, so I'll get the answers!" The girl raised her voice, but Maeve remained calm.

"Oh please, you're just making your situation worse. You are acting like a child, Agent Connor." She sighed and turned away.

"Dismissed Agent, and clean up you attitude!" Fury said. As Lea left the room he turned back to the team. "Stark has also got your next mission. He was looking through the paperback files and he might have found something. Head up to his lab to check it out."

"Right, let's go guys." Tony said, rubbing his hands together.

Outside, Steve slipped an arm around Maeve and whispered quietly:

"Are you okay? She seemed to hate you. Like, a lot."

Maeve laughed slightly at the tickling sensation his breath at her ear caused and replied:

"I'm fine, she's just acting like a child. And I get the better deal anyway, I get to stay with you." She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Oi lovebirds, we've got a mission! Let's go!" Tony yelled down the corridor at them. They both blushed, and hurried up, but Steve didn't let go of Maeve's hand.


	16. Chapter 16

Fanfic - TAIR

Chapter 15

"Okay guys, we know that we have no records with Strucker online, so I've been looking through some of our paper back files. I found this. Ulysses Klaue, an arms dealer operating in an African shipyard. Nothing special really, until I looked at the brand on his neck. It's Wakandan, for thief. I think you guys can complete the picture." Tony addressed the whole team.

"Wait, Wakanda? Isn't that where you find-" Bruce started.

"Vibranium." Steve said grudgingly. "The strongest metal on the planet. I though your father got the last of it!"

"Apparently not" said Nat, surveying the room. "Looks like we've got ourselves a ticket to whatever dump this guys hiding in."

Three hours later, the team landed the Quinjet and formed a plan.

"Banner, I don't think this is the time for a code green, but if it is, we'll give you the signal. The rest of us, we have to find out if Ultron has been there, and if he is still there, we have to try and stop him. Is everyone clear?" Steve was in soldier mode, the authority in his voice showing clearly why he was meant to be Captain America.

There was a general murmur of assent from everyone, and they prepared to depart. Maeve was in her usual red jumpsuit, this time it had been modified for thermal and water protection, but it was still lightweight and movable.

"Avengers, move out!" Came the command, and together they approached the ship yard.

Maeve was sent with Nat and Barton round the back, to corner Ultron and whatever accomplices he had.

"Aw junior," she heard Stark say. "You're gonna break your old man's heart."

The two exchanged comments, then she saw Stark get flung backward into the wall, then turning to attack Ultron. She nodded confirmation at Nat and Barton, then threw herself into Pietro Maximoff's back. She briefly saw her two friends jump at some robots, then she was occupied with throwing the speedster to the ground, smashing her heel into his stomach on the way. He convulsed, gasping for air and she took the opportunity to get away to help the rest of the team. Thor seemed to have his group of attackers under control, as was with Nat and Clint. Tony however, was not faring so well in his battle with Ultron, so she boosted herself up using the fire streams from her hands like a jet pack, and latched onto the robots foot.

"Maeve what're you?!-" he was cut off by Maeve promptly melting the exposed circuitry with fire, and then being flung off by a metal hand. She slid down a wall, but could see that Ultron was slightly off balance, allowing Tony to get in more attacks.

"Hey, it's the pretty one," came the accented drawl. "Not so feisty now are you?" Pietro was back, lifting her onto her feet just to knock her back down again.

"Well," she spat, "I'm flattered, but I don't do guys who are trying to destroy the world."

"Oh, so if I wasn't, you'd be into me huh?" He taunted her.

"Sorry, Sonic, but I'm seeing someone." She saw Steve creeping behind Pietro, shield raised to attack. "In fact, he's looking pretty angry right now..." Then Maeve ducked at the precise moment the man turned to see Steve's shield swinging towards his face. Pietro went flying backwards into a stack of crates.

"You okay?" Steve said, his eyes softening.

"I'm good, but he was hitting on me. Seriously." She laughed when Steve frowned. "Calm down Capsicle, he's got nothing on you."

"Well, at least I know that."

"Yeah, now duck!" Maeve said and used his back as a springboard into the nearest robot to come flying at her. She ripped out the circuitry at the back of its neck and they both fell to the ground, Maeve twisting to land gracefully like a cat.

"The woman just tried to take over my mind, be careful, no human could withstand her. Fortunately, I am..." Thor's voice drifted off on the coms and they never heard what he was going to say, and soon Nat and Steve were off radio too. She found Clint, and he hadn't seen them either.

"It's like they just-" Clint spun around and hit Wanda straight in the head with an arrow that sent an electric shock through her. Seconds later, Pietro nearly went flying as Maeve anticipated his arrival and tried to trip him, but he still knocked Clint off the ledge, and carried Wanda off.

"Damn." Maeve muttered.

"Maeve!" Clint yelled at her. "I can see Nat here, and Steve's just over on my right! I'll get Nat, you get him, I think Wanda got to them. Hurry!" He got up and ran over to a set of stairs. Maeve ran along the ledge and swung under it to where Steve was slumped, staring deadpan at a wall.

"Steve, Steve!" She shook him, willing him silently to come out of whatever nightmare he was in. She could see his face contorting into a pained expression, then one of fear. She shook him again. "Steve!" And this time he woke up.

"Wha- Maeve? Oh god. She got me didn't she?" He said quietly, burying his face in his hands.

"Hey, it's okay. Come on. We need to get back to the jet. Nat, Clint and hopefully Thor will meet us there." She helped him up Maeve took the silver board off her back. The ship they were in was confined, so she hadn't used it, but flying sure beat walking back to the Quinjet.

"Okay old man, hop on, and try not to tip us over!" She said, but Steve still looked a bit shaken, so she didn't fly as fast as she normally would, meaning that Thor beat them there. A few minutes later, Nat and Clint showed up, and that's when they realised Banner was missing.

"Someone turn on the monitors. Quick." Maeve barked, and Clint obliged, "Search news, keyword 'Hulk'" she said, the voice command instantly showing them scenes of Tony and Bruce battling in the city.

"Oh god..." Natasha said softly, and turned away from the screens. She curled up in one of the seats, shielding herself from any of them. Thor was sat in the back, looking dejected and worried. Maeve didn't say anything, but Steve gently pulled her to his side and she buried her face in his chest.

"Our teams falling apart Steve..." She said. He didn't reply, and that was what worried her most.

"Steve? What did you see? What did that witch do to you? Please, talk to me..." She whispered to him.

"I'm fine Maeve. It's nothing." He pulled himself away, and left her alone. Clint put his hand on her shoulder, and together they turned back to the battle on the screens. It made Maeve feel worse than ever.


End file.
